The Apollo Theater Announces the Winter/Spring 2019 Lineup for Apollo Music Cafe

Harlem, NY – January 9, 2019 – The Apollo Theater today announced details for its 2018- 2019 Winter/Spring lineup for Apollo Music Café, part of its Late Nights at the Apollo. The Apollo Music Café presents forward-thinking, innovative artists and features diverse performances across a myriad of genres: R&B, hip-hop, soul, jazz, pop, funk, and rock. The monthly program runs on the Apollo’s intimate soundstage Fridays and Saturdays at 10 p.m.

Doors open for bar and food at 9 p.m.

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“In true Apollo spirit, the Apollo Music Café has been an incubator for some of music’s best new artists,” said Kamilah Forbes, Apollo Theater’s Executive Producer. “From PJ Morton to Tank and The Bangas and most recently The Hamiltones, many of today’s brightest stars have performed at the music café. We are proud to provide another opportunity for audiences to see the best of what is happening in music today.”

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Apollo Music Café’s Winter/Spring 2019 Schedule Includes:
‍Friday Feb. 8 at 1o p.m.: From Harlem to Hollywood featuring Malik Yoba

Saturday Feb. 9 at 10 p.m.: Tamika Lawrence and Bel-Ami‍

Friday, March 15 at 10 p.m.: Butterscotch

‍Saturday, March 16 at 10 p.m.: Kimberly Nichole

‍Friday, April 12 at 10 p.m.: Tosin and Allinor

‍Saturday, April 13 at 11 p.m.: Young Paris

Friday, May 3 at 10 p.m.: John Holiday

‍Saturday, May 4 at 10 p.m.: Alicia Olatuja

‍Friday, June 14 at 10 p.m.: Aaron Marcellus

‍Saturday, June 15 at 10 p.m.: Darien Dean

Apollo Music Café is hosted by Jodine Dorce with music supplied by DJ Hard Hittin Harry.

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Tickets for Apollo Music Café are $22 and $15 in advance for the Apollo’s A-List. There is a $10 drink/food minimum for each show. Tickets are available at the Apollo Theater Box Office: (212) 531-5305, 253 West 125th Street, and Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are on sale now.

Please see below for the full schedule and more information on the artists:

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Apollo Music Café: Harlem to Hollywood Featuring Malik Yoba Directed by Kevin Ramsey

Friday, February 8, 2019, 10 p.m.

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Malik Yoba’s Harlem To Hollywood is an immersive multimedia theatrical experience that brings audiences up close and personal into the life of one of Hollywood’s most enduring talents over the last 25 years. The one-man show displays Yoba’s masterful embodiment of more than a dozen engaging and colorful characters with stunning accuracy and humor. Harlem to Hollywood is the opus Yoba has worked on his entire life to share.

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Apollo Music Café: Tamika Lawrence and Bel-Ami

Saturday, February 9, 2019, 10 p.m.

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Soul never sounded so sweet as these two independent artists join forces for an evening that moves from the scintillating groove of R&B to the earth-shattering pulse of Betty Davis-style soul/rock. Although she is known for her Broadway Credits, Tamika’s music is in fact multifaceted as it is a blend of rock and vibe-soul. The second-half of the evening is headlined by Bel-Ami – an artist whose fearless, honest and free-style music is filled with hope and empowerment.

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Apollo Music Café Celebrates WOW – Women of the World Festival: Butterscotch

Friday, March 15, 2019, 10 p.m.

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Butterscotch, the retro-futuristic, voice percussionist virtuosa, is a force to be reckoned with in today’s music scene. Hailed as the world’s first female beatboxing champion, Butterscotch has created a unique style. While she beatboxes, she sings and plays either guitar or piano, performing her own compositions and jazz standards.

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Apollo Music Café Celebrates WOW – Women of the World Festival: Kimberly Nichole

Curated by Jodine Dorce

Saturday, March 16, 2019, 10 p.m.

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This special event is an album release for Kimberly Nichole’s latest project, The West Coast Seattle Girl.

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Kimberly’s unique voice allowed her to share the stage with such artists as Slash (Guns N Roses), Living Colour, Alice Smith, Janelle Monae, Nona Hendryx (Labelle), Aloe Blacc, Bilal, Joe Walsh (The Eagles) and Jon Bon Jovi.

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Apollo Music Café Celebrates Africa Now: Tosin and Allinor

Friday, April 12, 2019, 10 p.m.

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A renaissance force to be reckoned with, vocalist and percussionist Tosin writes and sings in Yoruba, Pidgin English and English. Joining him on stage, Allinor has always been influenced by the music of his Ghanaian upbringing as well as his deep roots in spiritual music. Blending western blues, highlife and reggae with traditional music, he creates a soul stirring, mood setting style of melodic rhythms.

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This special music café is part of Apollo’s annual Africa Now music festival, which showcases contemporary musicians from the continent who fuse local musical influences with global sounds.

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Apollo Music Café Africa Now After Party: Young Paris

Saturday, April 13, 2019, 11 p.m.

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The Africa Now weekend culminates with an energy-filled after party, directly following the mainstage show, featuring Roc Nation artist Young Paris. Through his work as an artistic director, music producer, and song writer, Young Paris has taken the world by storm and has been featured in Billboard, The Fader, REVOLT, BET, Vice, and XXL Mag.

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Apollo Music Café: John Holiday

Friday, May 3, 2019, 10 p.m.

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Returning to the Apollo after his break-out performance as John Blue in last season’s world- premiere opera production of Daniel Roumain and Marc Bamuti Joseph’s, We Shall Not Be Moved, John Holiday headlines this intimate café performance with a set that effortless connects the African American musical traditions of jazz, R&B and gospel with opera.

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Apollo Music Café: Alicia Olatuja

Saturday, May 4, 2019, 10 p.m.

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Praised by the New York Times as “a singer with a strong and luscious tone and an amiably regal presence on stage”, Alicia Olatuja has been astounding audiences with her exquisite vocals, artistic versatility and captivating demeanor.

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Apollo Music Café: Aaron Marcellus Curated by Dwight Jordan

Friday, June 14, 2019, 10 p.m.

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Aaron Marcellus is a dancer, musician and actor whose charismatic charm and smooth, soaring vocals make the perfect elixir for a night of mahogany soul. Marcellus has performed in shows around the world including STOMP, NBC’s Next Caller and American Idol.

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Apollo Music Café: Darien Dean

Curated by InJoy Productions

Saturday, June 15, 2019, 10 p.m.

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Hailing from Mount Vernon, New York, Darien Dean is a multi-talented MC and soul singer. Darien’s spirited musical style earned him a coveted spotlight at the 2010 Soul Beach Music Festival in Aruba, opening for Mary J. Blige. Since then he has shared stages with soul super heavyweights including: Kem, Anthony Hamilton, Raheem DeVaughn, Jazmine Sullivan and many more.

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Get social! For exclusive photos, updates and more use the hashtag #ApolloMusicCafe

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SUPPORT

The Apollo's season is made possible by leadership support from Coca-Cola, Citi, Ford Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation and the Jerome L. Greene Foundation.

Public support for the Apollo Theater is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

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ABOUTTHEAPOLLO THEATER

The legendary Apollo Theater—the soul of American culture—plays a vital role in cultivating emerging artists and launching legends. Since its founding, the Apollo has served as a center of innovation and a creative catalyst for Harlem, the city of New York, and the world.

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With music at its core, the Apollo’s programming extends to dance, theater, spoken word, and more. This includes special programs such as the blockbuster concert Bruno Mars Live at the Apollo, 100: The Apollo Celebrates Ella, the annual Africa Now! Festival, and the New York premiere of the opera We Shall Not Be Moved. The Apollo is a performing arts presenting organization that also produces festivals and large-scale dance and music works organized around a set of core initiatives that celebrate and extend the Apollo’s legacy through a contemporary lens; global festivals including the Women of the World (WOW) Festival and Breakin’ Convention, international and U.S.-based artist presentations focused on a specific theme; and Special Projects, multidisciplinary collaborations with partner organizations.

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Since introducing the first Amateur Night contests in 1934, the Apollo Theater has served as a testing ground for new artists working across a variety of art forms and has ushered in the emergence of many new musical genres—including jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, gospel, blues, soul, and hip-hop. Among the countless legendary performers who launched their careers at the Apollo are D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, Machine Gun Kelly, Miri Ben Ari, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, James Brown, Michael Jackson, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross, and Stevie Wonder; and the Apollo’s forward-looking artistic vision continues to build on this legacy.

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